4 essential drivers in a good partnership

What constitutes a good partner relation? What are the critical drivers? We have asked our resellers around the world for their opinion on the matter. Four things stand out in their answers, and we have summed them up here in a brief guide to a good partnership.

1: TRUST

Whether you ask Aquaporin’s partner in India, North Macedonia or Turkey, one thing recurs in their responses. Trust. To some, it’s instant, a gut feeling. To others, it's something that comes with time. No matter what, mutual trust is with certainty highlighted as a critical cornerstone in a good, professional partnership.

According to Ilija Andreevski, CEO of Ecotip and Aquaporin’s reseller in Austria, Hungary and the Balkans, an ideal partnership is entered into between two trustful parties. To that Harish H Paramesh, CEO of Resource Environmental Engineering Private Ltd. and Aquaporin’s reseller in India adds a time perspective as he believes a long-term commitment is an essential part of the foundation in any good partnership. Aquaporin’s reseller in Turkey, Yasin Kasa, Co-founder of Nordic Foreign Trade Ltd. agrees:

“If there is a success at the end, it is probably because you have a trust-based relation with your partner,” he says.

2: VISION & VALUES MATCH

Before letting trust pave the way for a good personal relation in a partnership, an equally important factor usually comes first. Whether implicit or explicit, sharing the same values and having corresponding visions is a strong means to spark initial interest. So strong that it might be the main reason someone eyes you as a potential business partner. In fact, Ilija was convinced he wanted to engage in a partnership with Aquaporin the very minute it occurred to him that Ecotip and Aquaporin share more or less the same long-term goals and vision. It’s all about sustainability and preserving the world’s valuable resources to ensure the next generations will get the same joy from inhabiting planet Earth as its current inhabitants do. Harish agrees:

“I was looking for a domestic drinking water solution to provide to my customers, and Aquaporin’s matches our sustainable vision,” he says.

Yasin puts it into other words:

“We don’t want to sell something that hurts the environment or any living thing in the world. We represent Aquaporin because they clearly add value to people’s lives and the environment. Less plastic bottles, less transport, more access to clean water,” he says.

3: PROACTIVITY

Although essential for the foundation in a partnership, trust and a match in values and vision are not necessarily what drives a partnership ahead. It takes energy, courage, motivation, support and much more that can all be boiled down to one word: proactivity. Actively causing something to happen rather than waiting for it to happen. Aquaporin’s resellers agree proactiveness is the main driving force to bring a partnership to the forefront:

“A proactive approach is a positive sign a partnership is developing,” Harish says.

Yasin also indicates the importance of a proactive approach as he explains why his partnership with Aquaporin has been a success so far:

“Together we found out what is required in Turkey, what the key success factors are and what the people need. We agreed on the next steps and took action immediately. It was a smooth process, and every time I needed something from Aquaporin, they reacted very fast,” he says.

4: BELIEF IN THE PRODUCT

To sell something convincingly and with a clear conscience, you need to believe in the value the product can create for the potential customer.

“To me, a good partnership requires trust and belief in the product and the people behind it,” Harish says.

Yasin agrees belief in the product is an essential driver in a good partnership:

“When I approach potential customers, I feel I have a strong case because I am committed to and believe in Aquaporin’s products,” he says.

It’s more than commerciality. It’s about how a product and the vision it evolved from has the capability to change the world for the better. About Aquaporin’s drinking water solutions, Ilija says:

“It’s not just business, it’s not just filtration, it’s not just drinking water. It’s the belief that we can make the world a better place.”

DEEP DIVE INTO THE OCEAN OF WATER PURIFICATION

We have created a guide to provide you with insights on household water filtration and introduce you to our recommended solution for providing clean, sustainable, and great-tasting tap water to consumers. Get the reseller’s guide to water filtration here.